


Little Things

by 1dpotterpatd



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Best Friends, F/F, F/M, Genderswap, High School, Highschool AU!, LATER, Lesbian, best friend love, gender swap, maybe smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-15
Updated: 2013-12-13
Packaged: 2017-12-11 22:17:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/803853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1dpotterpatd/pseuds/1dpotterpatd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall and Zayn have been best friends since they met Zayn's sophomore year, it wasn't until two years later that things started to change in their friendship. Relationships and friendships end when Zayn realizes maybe what she really needs is Niall...not Louis after all. Always a girl!Zayn and Always a girl!Niall</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just friends

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is appreciated!!!! Enjoy!!!

Louis, Harry and Liam had always questioned Niall and Zayn's friendship. Not that they thought that anything was happening between the two girls, but just the fact that they seemed a lot closer than most girls were…especially in high school. Danielle and Eleanor didn't seem to act quite as close as Niall and Zayn either. Niall and Zayn saw nothing wrong with they way they acted, and the boys didn't seem to really mind anyways, they mostly acted that way to get a rise out of the guys…except when the guys weren't around, then they just did it because it was normal. It felt right. Plus, holding hands and cuddling and flirting with your friend's wasn't that weird was it? As long as Harry and Louis didn't mind, then it didn't really matter.  
Niall and Harry had been together for about six months, while Zayn and Louis had been together for almost two years. They were all lucky enough to have a class together, except Louis who went to a private school down the road, even though Liam and Niall were both Juniors and Harry and Zayn were seniors. Plus the one class they did have together was everyone's favorite class anyways, theater. They not only got to spend the longest class of the day together, but most of the class involved goofing around and just generally hanging out with each other. Right now they were working on a musical, Wicked. Zayn had the lead role, Liam and Harry were also main characters, while Niall ran lights. Most of the time that Zayn wasn't on stage rehearsing she was either in the booth with Niall or texting Louis, or both. Just like almost every other day, one group was rehearsing a scene on stage that wasn't going to great and the rest of the class were all hanging out in different parts of the theater free to do pretty much whatever they wanted since the director was busy yelling at someone for goofing off on stage again. Zayn, Niall, Harry and Liam were up in the booth like always. Zayn was laying on the floor under Niall's feet as she turned the lights on full so she didn't have to do anything else for the rest of the class period. Zayn had been tugging on her jeans for the last 5 minutes trying to get Niall to lay down on the floor with her. Finally Niall was done turning the lights on and plopped down onto Zayn's back, straddling her waist. Harry just simply rolled his eyes, seeing as this was completely normal for the two best friends. They were all talking about their plans for the weekend when the booth door suddenly opened and Danielle and Eleanor walked into the room.  
"What'cha talking about?" Eleanor strode into the room wearing her normal clothing choice of a t-shirt and nike shorts. Danielle followed behind her in pink skinny jeans and some obscure band t-shirt.  
"what's it to you?" Harry replied. He wasn't to fond of Eleanor lately, so every time she came around, he found some way to annoy her.  
"No one was talking to you." Eleanor rolled her eyes and sat in a chair, Danielle following by sitting on the floor in front of her and smacking Harry on the arm.  
"we were just discussing our plans for this weekend. I think we're going to the lake" Zayn finally responded to Eleanor.  
"Ooh fun! Danielle and I are in. Can I bring Jason?"  
Everyone in the room groaned in response. Unfortunately Eleanor's boyfriend had gotten a reputation amongst the group for being a douche bag, mostly because he and Zayn always seemed to be arguing about something and he was always the one who started the arguments. And Zayn was never one to back down from an argument.  
"C'mon guys he's not that bad! I'll keep him under control this time!"  
Harry begrudgingly agreed and Zayn just grunted in response.  
"Zayn!!! Baby! It's okay! You'll be with me!"  
Zayn flipped around so she was now facing Niall and placed her hands on Niall's hips.  
"That's the only reason I'm going"  
"What about Louis?" Liam asked from across the room.  
"Yeah him too.."  
Niall giggled and Harry an and Liam rolled their eyes.  
Danielle finally spoke up after being silent since she entered the room, "Niall, Zayn, wanna go bathing suit shopping with El and I today?"  
"Can't, Zayn and I work at the shop today. Go on without us, we can go tomorrow. We were planning in getting our nails done anyways"  
Danielle and Eleanor exchanged a look that was readable to only them. Niall and Zayn always seemed to find away to spend time just them two. And it was getting slightly annoying to the other girls.  
Harry kicked Niall's foot, "babe, what time do you work?"  
"5 but I'm going with Zayn, she works at 4 and we're grabbing food. Wanna come?"  
"No...it's fine. I just wanted to get food together...maybe another day."  
Niall smiled unknowing of her boyfriends annoyance.  
Liam stood up, "I'm uh...going to the bathroom..." He shot Zayn a look before exiting the booth. A few moments later she sat up pushing Niall off if her lap, "I have to pee.. Be right back." After she left the room was silent with tension. Everyone thinking it but no one actually putting their thoughts into words. Finally Eleanor said what everyone else was thinking, "Is anyone going to tell Louis that his best friend is fucking his girlfriend?"  
Niall's head snapped towards Eleanor and she glared at her, "they aren't fucking. Don't talk about shit you don't know about okay?" The room was silent for the rest of the time the two were gone.  
Meanwhile in the lobby of the theater Liam had Zayn pressed up against the wall, "Louis would hate me if he found out you know? But I just can't take it...mmm watching you underneath Niall like that...you're so damn sexy Zayn." He pressed his lips to her neck, kissing up until he reached her lips, placing feather light kisses to her lips before finally pressing harder and slipping his tongue into her mouth. After a couple of minutes they pulled away from each other.  
"You go in first, I need to go...umm...readjust..yeah." Zayn began walking back towards the booth. Liam smacked her ass the second she turned around and she yelped in return and turned back to yell at him but he simply winked at her and walked into the bathroom. She rolled her eyes and walked back into the booth. Everything was quiet and all eyes were on her.  
"What's going on?"  
Harry and Danielle looked away and refused to make eye contact while Eleanor just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Niall was the only one who actually spoke, "come on Zayn, lets go get my lunch out of my locker."  
"Okay...is everything okay?"  
"Yeah yeah everything's fine. Lets go!" She pushed Zayn out of the door just as Liam was walking back in, when Niall wasn't looking he winked at her and entered the room only to receive the same treatment as Zayn. Unlike Zayn though, he didn't have a savior and had to endure the silent treatment for the rest of the class period.


	2. Party time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get interesting at Harry's party.

By the next day most everything had blown over between the group of friends. The incident was still on the back of their minds though. After class Niall had explained to Liam why exactly everyone was acting the way they were. Liam's only response was to deny the accusations and tell her that he would never do that to Louis. The guilty expression on his face said otherwise. Niall just shook her head and sighed.   
"She deserves better than this…Louis is always jealous and accusing and you treat her like shit unless you two are alone, don't think I don't notice you flirting with every other girl in the class, Li. You'll break her heart and Lou's if this keeps going on…"  
"Lou has more to worry about with you two than he does with me, Nialler, I swear"  
Niall rolled her eyes and walked to her next class, ignoring Liam trying to convince her that what he was saying was true. He should know that Zayn tells her everything. Niall didn't necessarily like the situation but she knew there was no way to stop it. She just hated the way Zayn was being used by Liam. She knew Zayn deserved better, someone that would treat her right and not cause a fight every time she ditched him to hang out with other friends. The next day in theater they were all in the booth once more minus Danielle, Eleanor and Liam. Niall was sitting in between Harry's legs on the floor and Zayn was sitting up on the counter with her knees pulled up to her chin.   
"Lou and I fought again last night…apparently I'm not allowed to text people who aren't him anymore…" Harry scoffed, none of them had expected Louis to be such an overprotective boyfriend and the fact that he was always on Zayn's back about something really pissed Harry off.   
"You need to dump him Zayn. I don't care if he's part of the group, you need to be with someone who take you for who you are, an outgoing girl…its not your fault you have friends that aren't him. Fuck him if he's going to act like he owns you." Zayn responded with a sad smile. She loved Louis and knew that she would fuck everything up by dumping him but she was just incredibly unhappy with the way things were working right now.  
"I'm having a party this saturday. Come get wasted and forget about all the shit people give you…" Niall nodded in encouragement, she wanted Zayn to be there too. With Harry being the host she probably wouldn't be seeing much of him that night and needed someone to make sure she didn't get too wasted like last time.   
Zayn shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe. I don't know how Lou would feel about it, you know? I don't want to cause problems…I do love him you know…"  
Harry rolled his eyes, "that doesn't mean he controls you. Plus i heard from a little bird that there's another member of the opposite sex who really wants you to be there…you didn't hear it from me."  
Zayn's cheeks instantly turned a dark shade of red, although he didn't say it, she knew he was talking about Liam and she couldn't deny the fact that she was hoping he'd be there as well. Harry and Niall laughed and Zayn's blush deepened.   
"I might show up for a bit…"  
Harry and Niall high fived and Harry smirked at Zayn, "Whatever you say Zayn…we all know you're going to be there because you want to see Liam…don't deny it because you're a horrible liar."  
"I am not!!!"  
"Are too!! Last week when Louis asked you why you were with Liam, you tried to say you guys had a project together but your face was red and you wouldn't stop tapping your damn foot. Also, Liam is a year younger than you and the only class you share is theater. You're stupid and you suck at lying and you're doing that red face thing again…"  
Zayn hid her face in her hands and shook her head, "It has nothing to do with Liam and now I don't even want to go…."  
"Babe!!! go with me!!" Niall crawled over to Zayn and climbed up onto the counter next to her, "It'll be fun! Pllleeeaasseeeee"  
Zayn laughed and Niall wrapped her arms around Zayn who nuzzled her head into Niall's shoulder.  
"Do you think Lou will show up?"  
"Doubt it…he's not much of a partier Zayn..you know that."  
Zayn nodded her head and looked down at her feet, "Okay…I'll go."  
Harry and Niall smiled at each other, proud that they had convinced Zayn to go to the party.   
"I'm hungry as fuck, let's go to lunch"  
The group stood up to leave and head to lunch with their friends.

The rest of the week went by rather quickly. Niall found out she had family coming in and actually would not be able to attend the party that weekend. Zayn considered not going but then decided that she wasn't going to not go just because she'd be going alone. Plus Liam would be there.   
It was the day of the party, Liam had been avoiding telling Zayn whether or not he planned on going, it wasn't until right before she left to the party that he finally admitted that he wouldn't be there, "Great…I'm not going to know anyone but Harry, fuck my life."  
She reluctantly climbed into her car and went to the party anyways, dreading being there and not knowing anyone. Hopefully Harry would not ditch her and try to include her. She pulled up to the house that the party was being held, she thought about just going home, she would be seeing Harry and everyone tomorrow when they went to the lake anyways but she had promised Harry she'd be here so she got out of the car and walked towards the door. When she entered there were a lot of people she didn't know, she made her way through the sea of bodies until she reached the back door where the deck was. Harry was standing outside with a couple of his friends that she had seen around school and one guy she had never seen before.   
Harry introduced him as Ed. Zayn had to admit that she thought he was extremely attractive but then her mind drifted back to Louis. Harry handed her a red cup and although she probably should have first asked what was in the cup, she simply proceeded to gulp down the entirety of the contents. Another cup or so later and Zayn started to feel the buzz. She somehow was on Ed's lap and they were playing truth or dare. Harry smirked at her when his turn came around, "hmmm who should I pick....."   
Zayn rolled her eyes, she knew he was going to pick her, she just wasn't sure what he had up his sleeve tonight.   
"Zayn! Truth or dare?"   
"Dare."  
"I dare you....to kiss Ed!"   
Zayn's cheeks turned a deep red. She knew he was trying to get her to loosen up and forget about Louis but she didn't think he would use her attraction to his friend against her. She looked down at the boy underneath her and he smirked at her, she looked back up at Harry and the rest of the group who were urging her on and suddenly she felt a hand on her cheek turning her head back towards Ed. She looked down and he pulled her face closer to his and suddenly her lips were on his and then his tongue was in her mouth. She heard someone yell her name but in her state she didn't plan on moving any time soon. She had her hand around Ed's neck but suddenly someone was yanking her off of his lap. She screamed and turned to tell at the person but instead found her self silent and face to face with Louis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos!! Comments would be greatly appreciated! I really want some feedback. Sorry it's taken so long to update!!


	3. The break up

Everything else happened so fast. She thought that Louis was going to yell at her or do something to her but before she could even realize what was happening she heard the grunt behind her. She turned around and Louis had Ed pinned to the ground, punching him in the face. 

"LOUIS!! LOUIS STOP PLEASE!! Louis!"

She screamed and stormed over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him back. He stood up and glared at Ed and then at her. He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her accross the room and out the door to the front lawn. 

"what the fuck Zayn?!" He stepped away from her, his face in his hands. If she didn't know Louis, she'd think he was crying. But Lou never cried and she didn't think she would be the person to make him do it.

"Lou...please...I-I'm sorry. I didn't...I mean..It was a dare and...god I'm really fucking drunk." Zayn walked closer to Louis and put her hand on his shoulder only to have it shrugged off. Zayn sighed and sat on the step outside the door. She couldn't believe this was happening. She didn't come to this party with the intention of cheating on Lou, and she definitely didn't think he would be showing up. 

"I..I came to surprise you...Because I knew you'd be here. Zayn...I can't do this anymore. I know you aren't happy and fuck..I know about Liam too and I just tried not to think about and I'm just done okay? You don't need me and I don't want to hold you back anymore. Just...go have fun with Harry and Ed...I'm leaving" He walked down the drive way to his truck with Zayn desperately calling after him but she knew it was over. He wasn't going to turn around and she had finally fucked herself over in the relationship. Even though she had planned on ending it between the two, she never wanted to hurt Louis the way she did. She never wanted it to end the way that it did. She stood up and went back into the house. Everyone was silent, Harry was in the kitchen with Ed holding a bag of frozen peas against his eye. 

"Ed, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt..." Ed smiled up at her through the bloody lip he had received and chuckled, "don't worry about it. I kind of initiated the kiss and I knew you had a boyfriend. Harry told me. I deserve it. But honestly, it was worth it." Zayn smiled weakly in return and jumped up onto the counter, "well..Lou broke up with me if that wasn't obviously going to happen. Are you happy Harry? I'm free now." 

Harry gave her a sympathetic smile. He knew that it was partially his fault but he also knew that she needed to break up with him anyways and that she would be happier without him around. "are you still going to stay the night? I think Niall might be coming over in about an hour to stay over." Zayn sighed with relief, at least she would have someone to talk to who would understand, "Yeah, I'll stay, but only because I love Niall."

An hour and a half later Zayn heard someone pull up outside. By now it was only Harry, Ed and her so she was thankful that Niall was finally there to ease the awkwardness between the three of them. They were currently on the couch watching some movie that Zayn really wasn't paying any attention to at the moment. Her mood relaxed enormously when she heard the front door open and a soothing voice call out, "Zaynnnnn I'm hooommeee" Harry rolled his eyes and looked over to Ed, "You'd think that my girlfriend might be happier to see me than her best friend" Niall ran into the living room and jumped onto Zayn. 

Zayn laughed and pulled Niall into her chest, "I'm so glad you showed up. Although, you missed all the drama!" Niall laughed and rolled off of Zayn and walked over to Harry to peck him on the lips before going back to Zayn and sitting in her lap, "I heard! I'm sorry about Lou babe...I know you love him."

"Oh well it's for the best I guess, now you just have to dump Harry and we can finally live our lesbian lives together." Niall bust out laughing and Zayn followed suit. 

"Harry boo, I'm sorry to inform you, but I'm a lesbian and Zayn and I are getting married." she kissed Zayn on the cheek as if to prove that they were indeed getting married and Harry just stuck his tongue out at Zayn in response. 

Now that Niall was there, Zayn could finally pay attention to the movie without having the "Louis Incident" on her mind the whole time. She stretched across the couch and placed her head in Niall's lap who was curled up against the edge of the couch fully engrossed in the movie that she had missed the first half of. Ed had gone home about thirty minutes ago after giving Zayn his number and making her promise that they would get to do this again minus the fighting and boyfriend issues. She had simply responded with a chuckle and a shy nod. Now she was drifting to sleep in Niall's lap and could feel Niall running her hands through Zayn's hair calming her and putting her to sleep even faster. She knew there was a reason she loved this girl, "I love you Nialler." Niall smiled down at her, "I love you too Zee. Go to sleep.." Zayn nodded her head and finally drifted all the way to sleep, completely forgetting about the movie playing in the background. 

Zayn woke up the next morning in Harry's guest bedroom. She assumed that Harry had moved her off the couch last night because there was no way that Niall had carried her up here. Speaking of Niall, Zayn was currently wrapped in her arms under the covers. She could feel Niall's breathing against her neck and it tickled so instead of letting Niall sleep some more, Zayn sat up and began to shake Niall awake. 

"Babe...let me sleeeeepp." Zayn smiled and shook Niall again. "let me sleep and I'll give you head later.." 

Zayn flushed a deep red, she knew that Niall must think that she was in bed with Harry but the instant reaction in her shorts told her that she wished otherwise. Zayn blushed even more at the thought of Niall causing that reaction. She shook Niall again in hopes of waking her up and making her realize that she was in bed with Zayn not Harry but what happened instead was Niall grabbing her shirt collar and pulling her down so that their lips were pressed against one another. Zayn sat there frozen as Niall worked her lips against Zayn's and suddenly Niall's tongue was slipping into Zayn's mouth. Zayn wanted to push away, she really did but her mouth was moving against her will and began moving in time with Niall's. When Niall pulled away and opened her eyes with a smirk on her face Zayn expected the worst. She should have pulled away, but instead she had just made out with her best friend, who by the way is a GIRL and now Niall would probably freak out and hit her or something even worse. Zayn squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for a reaction but after a moment of silence nothing came. She slowly opened one eye to glance at Niall and then the other. But, instead of finding an angry, glaring Niall beneath her she found a smirking one. 

"I...I can explain...You...you were asleep and you thought it was Harry in bed when i tried to wake you and then...and then you just kissed me and I didn't know what to do and I..I'm sorry...I didn't mean to.." Zayn was panicking, she wasn't sure what exactly was going on but she knew that in any normal friendship, Niall should be freaking out right about now, instead Zayn suddenly felt a pair of lips on hers once more. It was just a small peck.

"Don't worry babe. it was my fault, I can understand why you were too shocked to push me away. Let's go get some breakfast, yeah? By the way, you're a good kisser" Niall winked and hopped out of bed wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt that probably belonged to Harry. 

Zayn sat on the bed for a few more minutes before she finally was able to move again and get out of bed. She walked downstairs into the kitchen where Niall was already roaming around cooking something on the stove. Zayn stood in the doorway watching Niall move gracefully around the small area pulling various things out of cabinets and the fridge, when she bent over to grab a pan from under the sink Zayn felt a blush rise to her cheeks. She was so caught up in watching Niall that she didn't hear Harry come up behind her and gasped when he snuck up and grabbed her shoulders. 

"Checkin out my woman huh? you can look but no touching." Harry chuckled and walked up behind Niall to wrap his arms around her. Zayn's cheeks began to heat up once more at the thought of what happened just a short 20 minutes ago with Niall. She slowly shuffled into the kitchen and watched Harry and Niall cook breakfast while her mind was scattered with everything that had happened just within the last 24 hours.

'fuck..'


	4. Confused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn goes to Danielle for help with her confusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the feedback!! It's very appreciated. Sorry this chapter is so short D:

After Harry's party the group had kind of split into two sides. Liam, Harry and Niall supporting Zayn while Daniell and El were on Louis' side. Zayn had attempted to cut things off between her and Liam as well, she just didn't feel the same about him now that everything had changed in the group. That didn't stop him from texting her constantly and trying to get her alone more than usual. The only people who were really there for her were Niall and Harry and after that incident in the bed with Niall, Zayn felt slightly awkward around her and she wasn't sure why. It wasn't like the kiss actually meant anything but that didn't stop Zayn from over thinking it like she always did when it came to problems in her life. She tried to just focus on school and work and avoiding Louis at all costs, which wasn't difficult since he went to another school.  
It was another day sitting in booth with Harry and Niall while Danni and El were on stage and Liam was attempting to hit on the rest of the girls in class since Zayn refused to talk to him anymore. Niall was messing with the light board and Zayn was attempting to nap in the corner.   
"So I told Harry about how you sexually assaulted me in bed the other day Zayn." Zayn's face turned a deep red and she began sputtering trying to explain what actually happened while Harry just laughed from the other side of the room.  
"Calm down Zee, she told me what actually happened. that she thought it was me in bed…don't worry, i'm not mad. I actually think it sounds kind of hot, I might just get you two drunk again and see if I can't get you to do it again."  
Niall just rolled her eyes and continued with the light cues. Zayn's face turned a light pink color but she tried to play it off as her usual confident self,   
"Niall couldn't handle me a second time. She's lucky she caught me off guard the first time."   
Harry chuckled and Niall turned around to stick her tongue out at Zayn causing her to miss a light cue and receive a chastisement from their director which also ended up getting Zayn and Harry kicked out of the booth for distracting Niall from doing her job. Zayn didn't mind though, she was more than happy to get away from the awkward situation with Niall and Harry.   
As Zayn was walking through the wings she was stopped by Danielle who could sense that something was wrong with Zayn.   
"You okay?" Daniell gave her a sympathetic look and followed Zayn into the empty dressing room in the back.   
"I think I like someone who I shouldn't like...they kissed me this weekend and now I'm confused and I feel weird and I don't know what to do..."   
"Is it that Ed guy? It's not a good idea to get with him...the situation is kind of off, I mean I know you think he's cute but-"  
"No no not him...it's someone else...someone we both know…Maybe i'm just…confused because of all of the shit thats going on right now but…I'm having trouble figuring it out and I don't want to ruin our friendship and I don't know what to do, Danni please…help" By now Zayn had tears streaming down her face. Danielle could tell that Zayn was worried and scared and confused and she had a feeling that she knew exactly why Zayn was feeling that way.  
"It's Niall isn't it…? You like Niall." All Zayn could do was nod in response. Danielle pulled her into her arms for a hug and they just sat on the floor of the dressing room in silence for the rest of the class period.   
The next few weeks were rough for Zayn. She tried to avoid Niall as much as possible, busying herself with work by picking up extra shifts and coming up with other lame excuses for why she couldn't hang out constantly. Niall could tell something was up, she just wasn't sure why Zayn wouldn't talk to her. Zayn always went to Niall about her problems and couldn't understand why this situation was any different than the others. Niall noticed that Zayn and Danielle had been hanging out during theater a lot more than usual, they would stay present for the first 10 minutes of class then disappear for the next hour. So, one day when Zayn was out sick Niall trapped Danielle in the dressing room and locked the door so no one else would walk in on the ambush.   
"What the hell is up with Zayn. She won't talk to me, she won't respond my text messages and calls and she always has some lame ass excuse to not see me. What's going on Danielle?"  
"I have no idea what you're talking about…"  
"Don't fuck with me Danni. You two have been secluding yourselves for the last two weeks and I want to know whats going on okay!? Whats wrong with Zayn?!"  
"I can't tell you okay?! I can't tell you….it's not my place. Zayn is just…confused right now…she needed to talk to someone else for a change, don't come attacking me because she won't talk to you!! why don't you ambush her! She's faking sick right now…she's home alone, go talk to her."  
Niall glared at Danielle before storming out of the dressing room and straight out of the theater. She didn't care if she got in trouble, she was going to settle this with Zayn if it was the last thing she did.


	5. Coming Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall attempts to figure out what is wrong with Zayn. There's Ziall in this chapter :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it's taken so long to update!! I tried to make this chapter longer for you guys!! Feedback is appreciated! Comments/criticisms are incredibly welcome. Thanks for all the hits and kudos they're really great! Please comment on what you guys would like to see for this fic! Any couples that you'd like? Any drama maybe?

Zayn sat up in bed due to her phone ringing on the nightstand. She had decided to fake sick that morning in hopes of avoiding all drama at school.  She stretched her arms, yawning, before reaching over and answering the phone without looking at the caller ID.

 

“hello?”

 

“Zayn I’m so sorry..I didn’t mean to say anything, she just kind of ambushed me and –“ Zayn crawled out of bed at the sound of Danielle speaking frantically on the other side of the phone.

 

“Danielle? What’s going on? What are you talking about?” Danielle sighed before responding.

 

“Niall. She cornered me in the dressing room asking what was wrong with you. I didn’t tell her anything but I did say that you might be faking sick? And she might be on her way to your house right now” Zayn felt her heart stop. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. 

“Niall…is on her way here? Like right now? Shit shit shit” It was then that Zayn heard a car door close outside, “I think she’s here…I have to go Danni. Thanks for the warning”  Zayn rushed around her room trying to find clean clothes to put on. It wasn’t like Niall hadn’t seen her in her underwear before but she figured, given the seriousness of the situation, maybe she should put some clothes on. She had just slipped on a clean shirt when she heard her doorbell ring and Niall yelling her name from outside.

 

“ZAYN! I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE!! ANSWER THE DAMN DOOR” Zayn cautiously approached the door that Niall was still banging on and slowly unlocked it. As soon as the lock clicked the door was being slammed open and Niall was storming in and pushing Zayn up against a wall with her fist in Zayn’s shirt.

 

“What the fuck is going on? You ignore me for weeks and then I find out from DANIELLE, someone who I was pretty sure we weren’t currently getting along with, that you’re at home faking sick because you’re trying to avoid something and I’m pretty sure that something is me! Since when can you not tell me shit Zayn?! I thought we were best friends! I thought…I thought we told each other everything?” At the end of the rant Niall’s voice had become less angry and sounded more like she was on the verge of tears. Zayn wanted to pull her into her chest and hold her and tell her everything was going to be ok but she wasn’t sure that, that was true anymore. How are you supposed to tell your best friend that not only are you possibly gay but also in love with them?

 

“Ni…Niall babe..shh. Please… just give me a second to think. I-…I didn’t mean for it to be like this. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore you and..ok yes, I was kind of avoiding you but it was because I’m scared ok? I don’t know how to tell you this…I’m just…afraid.”

 

Niall pulled away and started pacing in the hallway of Zayn’s house.

 

“Zayn. You know you can tell me anything, right? You know that I’ll always be here for you, no matter what. Hell you could’ve killed someone and I’d probably help you bury the damn body. Just please…tell me what’s going on so we can work this out and go back to normal.”

 

Zayn sighed and nodded her head before leading Niall into the living room so they could sit down and hopefully calm down. It was silent for a while, Zayn attempting to gather her words and build up the courage to tell Niall exactly what was going on. She took a deep breath before finally speaking.

 

“Niall…god I’m so nervous…ok…Niall. I-I….I think I’m gay?” She figured Niall didn’t need to know about the undying love for her just yet; maybe she would just take small steps. Zayn looked down at her feet and refused to make eye contact with Niall. After what felt like hours of silence but was really only maybe a minute she finally looked up at Niall and found that Niall was smiling at her. The smiling then dissolved into laughter, which confused Zayn.

 

“Oh god. Zayn. You really thought that I would care about that? You under estimate me. Like I didn’t already know…” The last sentence is what shocked Zayn the most.

 

“wait- what? What do you mean you already knew!? I had a boyfriend! Who I cheated on with another GUY…TWICE!” Niall continued laughing in response to Zayn’s arguments.

 

“Zayn, hun, I know you better than you know yourself. I always knew that there was something off about those relationships. I can’t believe you made such a big deal of telling me!! Come here so I can hug you and we can forget about this whole mess and go find you a sexy girlfriend” Zayn laughed and offered a weak smile and almost thought about telling Niall that there was no one she wanted but her. But she got off the couch she was sitting on to go snuggle up to Niall’s side. She felt a thousand times better just from telling Niall and knowing that Niall didn’t care and that she accepted her for whom she was. If she couldn’t have Niall in the way she wanted, at least she had her as the best possible friend she could ask for.

 

 

The next day, everything fell back into the way it used to be; Niall, Zayn & Harry all hanging out in the booth. Danielle and Eleanore even joined them at one point and it all felt right. Liam still hadn’t found the courage to rejoin the group at first but after the first couple of days he found himself joining them in the booth again. Things were awkward at first but it was almost like nothing could really tear this group apart. On that Friday Zayn decided she would come out to all of her friends as bisexual. Danielle and Niall were the only ones that knew otherwise but Zayn wasn’t completely ready for all the attention of coming out as completely gay quite yet.

 

When she first said the word out loud in front of her friends, it felt weird on her tongue. Like she was lying, but still being more truthful than ever. The reaction was silence at first, which Zayn had expected, but then it was everyone congratulating her and telling her that they were there for her. And then it was Harry & Liam talking about how hot it’d be to see her with a girl. Then there was some teasing questions, asking how she had figured it out and if she had a crush on any girls but she simply laughed it off and told them that she didn’t like anyone at the moment. Danielle caught her eye afterwards and gave her a sympathetic smile. Liam however, once again, could not keep his hands off of her after finding out. He kept hugging her and pulling her into his lap and everything felt like it had at the beginning of the year, except now Zayn had to figure out how to get over being in love with her straight best friend.

 

She was in the bathroom with Danielle about 20 minutes later talking about how easy coming out to her friends had been.

 

“I just don’t know what I’m going to do. I need to distract myself from Niall…Maybe I should give Li a chance? I mean, I had feelings for him at one point right? Just because I kind of like girls now doesn’t mean I can’t also have feelings for a guy. He likes me…he’s cute and it would definitely help take my mind off of the fact that I’m in love with Niall..” Danielle looked at Zayn cautiously.

 

“Idk Zee…I don’t know if that would help. It might complicate things…but if it’s what you really want to do, I support you fully. I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself into. Don’t get hurt ok? And don’t hurt Liam..”

 

Zayn nodded in agreement. “Just one date? And we’ll see how it goes.”

 

 

            The date, it turned out, had gone pretty well. Liam had been super excited when Zayn had asked him to go out with her. He picked her up at her house, took her to a nice dinner and a movie. They had fun, but Zayn always had fun with Liam. At the end of the night he had walked her to her door and said goodnight with a light kiss on the cheek. She thanked him for taking things slow because she wasn’t sure she wanted to get into anything too heated just yet. Not after everything that had happened with Louis.

            That night, Zayn laid awake thinking about what she wanted to do. She could try to date Liam and distract herself from Niall and maybe she would actually enjoy dating Liam. Or, she could not waste her time with Liam and continue pining after her straight best friend. Zayn knew which option sounded better but she also didn’t want to lead Liam on. It was going to be a tough decision but she knew that if she really wanted to move on and forget about her feelings for Niall, she needed a distraction. And Liam was the perfect distraction. As she laid in bed, her mind spinning with thoughts about Liam, Niall and what Danielle had said, her phone vibrated on the pillow next to her signaling a text message. She unlocked her iphone to find a text message from Liam.

_From Li: I had fun tonight we should do it again [:_

_To Li: I had fun too. I always do with you, Li. We should definitely do it again! [:_

_From Li: I’m glad. Can I ask you something?_

_To Li: Of course._

_From Li: Do you maybe want to like…go out?_

_To Li: Haha I’m pretty sure I just said we should_

_From Li: No, I mean….like be my girlfriend?_

 

Zayn froze. She hadn’t expected him to just immediately come out and ask after one date. She had figured it would take some time and effort. She hadn’t fully made her decision about whether she even really wanted to date Liam…but she supposed it was now or never and quickly typed out a response.

 

_To Li: Oh. Duh haha. I’d be honored Li._

_From Li: Really? Wow...that was easier than I thought it’d be. I’ve liked you for a long time Zayn…I’m glad that we’re finally getting this chance_

_To Li: Yeah me too. I like you too Liam [: I’ll see you tomorrow at school ok? I gotta get some sleep_

_From Li: Goodnight! See you in the morning beautiful <3_

The last message made Zayn’s heart skip a beat and she couldn’t decide whether or not it was because she was guilty or if she might actually have feelings for Liam. Before she started overthinking things again she closed her eyes and forced herself to fall asleep.

 

The room was dark, Zayn was sleeping in her bed and as she rolled over to get more comfortable she hit something, another person. She blinked several times, her eyes trying to adjust to the darkness as she tried to figure out who was in the bed with her. After a couple of moments the other body began to move and rolled over so that Zayn was face to face with…Niall? When had Niall come over last night? Niall smirked at Zayn through the darkness and Zayn could feel her cheeks heat up in embarrassment of how the look affected her. Niall ran her fingers up and down Zayn’s arm in what seemed like an attempt to calm her down but really just ended up having an opposite effect. Zayn’s eyes had fluttered closed as Niall’s hand drifted to her side and began rubbing at her hips and her naked stomach. Zayn was about to stop her because she could feel the heat between her legs and she didn’t want to become too aroused with Niall in the bed right next to her but before she could form any words Niall’s mouth was on hers. It was hot and messy with a lot of tongue, teeth, and lips but it was perfect. Zayn’s moaned into Niall’s mouth but the sound was drowned out by the sounds of tongues and teeth gnashing together. Niall was running her hands all over Zayn’s half naked body and through her hair, which had Zayn’s body tingling with pleasure. The girls broke apart gasping for air and Niall tugged at Zayn’s shorts, “Off.” She helped Zayn pull the fabric over hear hips and down around her ankles and tossed it off to the side. Niall’s eyes were full of greed and lust as they scanned over the brunette’s bare flesh. Zayn felt Niall’s fingers at the waistband of her lace underwear and she moaned just from the thought of having Niall’s hands on her. Niall’s slipped her hand under the piece of fabric ---

Zayn bolted upright in bed, covered in sweat and breathing heavily. She sat in silence for a moment before realizing that she had just had one of the most vivid sex dreams of her life and that it was not about her boyfriend. ‘ _Shit-’_ Zayn suddenly remembered that she had agreed to go out with Liam the night before after their date. She ran her fingers through her hair before grabbing her phone and looking at the time. She thanked the heavens that she had woken up 30 minutes early and would now have time to take a shower before school. She jumped out of bed and grabbed her outfit of choice and a towel before making the trek to the bathroom down the hallway. All the while still thinking about the dream that she had just woken up from and the resulting effects it had on her body. She sighed before turning the water on and keeping it at cold. She didn’t have any time for that kind of business this morning. After her shower she quickly dried and styled her hair before rushing out of the house and into her car to head to school for a long torturous day of questioning about her and Liam’s new _relationship._


	6. Dating Liam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn discovers how dating Liam might just change her social life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! Please leave comments & Kudos! Criticism is appreciated :)

Zayn pulled up to the school blasting her favorite band, Fall Out Boy, and having her own personal jam session. As she pulled into her assigned spot, she barely noticed Liam standing in front of it with a rose in his hand. She felt her cheeks burn and knew her face was already a deep red color and the day had barely begun. She hopped out of the car walking up to him cautiously, not knowing how exactly things had changed between them. Would it be awkward now that they had this new label? Would it even feel different at all? They had been screwing around as best friends for while, so maybe things wouldn't change between them, it would just be more public. 

As she approached him, Zayn noticed Liam's face brighten into a brilliant smile. One that she had become fond of before all the confusing drama began. She found herself smiling back at him before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a breathtaking kiss. 

"I've wanted to be able to do that in public for a very long time Zee." Zayn felt her cheeks get impossibly warmer and ducked so her face was hidden in Liam's chest. She felt the vibrations rumble through him as he chuckled at her response.

"C'mon, I want to flaunt you off in the halls," he began to walk and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together before he suddenly stopped in realization, "oh! I almost forgot, I brought this for you. I know it's cheesy but I figured you'd like it. I know you're a secret romantic." He handed Zayn the rose in his hand before kissing her cheek and continuing to walk with her hand in his. Zayn followed silently, staring at the rose with a fond smile. Maybe being with Liam wouldn't be too bad after all.

As soon as they entered the school they were surrounded by their friends and bombarded with questions about the date and the fact that they were apparently the new 'IT couple'. Zayn let Liam handle answering the questions, unsure if she would be able to do so herself.

"The date was great guys, we always have fun together though so that's no surprise. I wasn't planning on asking her out so quickly but the timing just felt right, you know? So I figured 'why not?' And she said yes. We're taking things slow and hopefully it works out." Everyone 'awed' in response and as Zayn looked up to meet her friends' eyes she noticed that others had apparently gathered around to listen as well. Apparently they really were the 'it couple'. Liam was used to all the attention. Aside from being in theater he played almost every sport at the school and enjoyed the perks of popularity. Zayn, on the other hand, wasn't quite used to all the attention. She had a lot of friends, of course, but never really put herself out there for anything besides theater. Most of her popularity came from people recognizing her from the stage. 

Much to Zayn's liking, the warning bell finally rang, signaling that everyone had 5 minutes to get to their home room. After their friends, and apparently their new groupies, dispersed, Liam bid Zayn a goodbye with a chaste kiss on the lips.

"I'll see you in theater." Liam smiled before running down the halls to his classroom, leaving Zayn frozen in the hall, overwhelmed by this mornings events. She hadn't even considered the repercussions of dating a popular kid. She never thought about the attention she would be getting, just the thought of it made her shiver with either fear or excitement. When she realized she was running out of time, she dashed down the halls to reach her home room without earning a detention.

By the time theater finally rolled around, Zayn felt like she had been addressed by about 50 new people as if they had been old friends. People she had never even seen before were saying hi in the halls and she had even been invited to a party by a guy in her math class that morning. When she relayed this information to Liam he simply laughed and told her that she would get used to it. Apparently Liam dealt with this treatment every day and Zayn couldn't imagine going through even a day of it even though she just had. Currently she was in booth with Niall and Harry as Liam practiced some scenes on stage with Eleanore and Danielle. She was telling Niall about how eventful her day was but when she stopped talking it seemed as if Niall hadn't been listening to a single word.

"Niall?? Hello? Did you hear me? I was invited to a party by the captain of the football team! I didn't even know he knew my name!!" Niall was silent and zoned out it seemed but after a minute she finally responded.

"Since when do you like Liam?"

"What?"

"I mean I knew you guys were hooking up but you never told me you had a crush on him..."

"Seriously? I just told you I got invited to one of the biggest parties of the year and you're asking me about Liam?"

"I'm serious Zayn! I mean all this time you loved Louis and then you're gay and now you're dating Liam? Why? Why didn't you tell me?" 

"I don't know...I mean I've always thought he was cute and I like being with him so I thought I'd give him a chance...why does it matter?"

"I just...I thought..." Niall drifted off, seeming to zone out once more, "never mind. Forget I asked. Sorry"

"No, Niall..babe...tell me what's wrong..."

"Nothing. I said just forget it, okay?"

"But...Niall..."

"Listen...I said I don't want to talk about it. Why don't you do something productive for once? Like get on stage...Mrs. Devlin is calling you up there." Niall was yelling now, defensive and angry that Zayn had tried to push her to speak more. She refused to look in Zayn's direction but saw as Zayn nodded her head solemnly before leaving the booth in silence. She heard Harry getting onto Niall as she shut the door and walked towards the stage. 

Mrs. Devlin's voice rang through her ears as she climbed the stairs to the stage and took her position to practice one of the scenes. Her mind, however, was not on the scene being acted out before her but on Niall, who was staring at her from the booth window. Zayn felt herself going through the motions and she could hear herself speaking the lines but everything was muffled and blurred. Like she had headphones in and was wearing a pair of prescription glasses that weren't hers. It was then that she felt the hot tear slide down her cheek. Suddenly, Liam was in her face, wiping the tear away with his finger and asking her what was wrong. Mrs. Devlin allowed him to remove her from the stage and guide her to an empty dressing room back stage. He sat Zayn down on the makeup counter and wiped away tears as they rolled down her cheeks. He kept prompting her to talk but all she heard was his muffled speaking. Niall had never yelled like that before, not without reason at least. She couldn't imagine what would have Niall so angry at her. Finally after minutes of Liam trying to get her to respond she said Niall's name and nothing else. After the first time the tears began rolling faster and she kept repeating Niall's name. As if saying it would make Niall forgive her for whatever she did. 

"Niall, Niall, Niall, Niall..." Zayn pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, pulling herself away from Liam and against the corner of the wall and mirror of the dressing room counter, continually uttering Niall's name. Finally after a few minutes Liam disappeared and was replaced by the blue eyed blonde who had caused the mess in the first place. At first all Niall could do was stare as Zayn rocked back and forth with tears streaming down her face but then sympathy overwhelmed her and she pulled Zayn into her chest apologizing over and over again before Zayn finally calmed down enough to speak.

"W-why...why did y-you get mad? I'm so sorry Niall I didn't mean to make you mad." Niall ran her fingers through Zayn's hair for a minute before responding.

"I'm not mad Zee. Everything is ok. I'm sorry for yelling. I just was upset you never told me you liked Liam. Everything is ok babe"

"I don't like Liam!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Zayn regretted them.

"What?"

"I...I don't like Liam..."

"Then why are you dating him?" Zayn looked up at Niall with tears still threatening to fall and she had a broken expression on her face before she finally answered.

"Because....because I can't have you."


	7. Because I can't have you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ziall!!! and Dramaaaaa :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on winter break so the updates should be more frequent. Thank you for the feedback ^.^ I love hearing what you guys have to say about the story. PLEASE COMMENT :) <3

Niall couldn’t process what was happening. All she saw was Zayn cover her mouth with her hand and run out of the dressing room. Niall was stood there, frozen, when Danielle burst into the room.

            “What happened? Why did Zayn just run out of the theater in tears?” Niall shook her head, still frozen in place by the words that had just slipped from Zayn’s mouth.

_“Because I can’t have you”_

What was Zayn talking about? What did she mean she couldn’t have Niall? They were best friends. Unless…

“Is Zayn in love with me?” Danielle, who had been yelling at Niall in an attempt to get her to talk immediately, was silenced.

“Zayn…she said she didn’t like Liam and that she was only dating him because…because she couldn’t have me. What…what does that mean? Where did she go?” Danielle was silent for another couple of minutes before she finally responded to Niall’s inquiries.

“She ran out of the theater and Liam went after her…she told you all that?”

“Yes! What is she talking about? What does she mean she can’t have me? Danielle I know you know what she’s talking about. Is Zayn…does…does she like me?” Danielle only nodded before Niall bolted out the door in search for Zayn. She found her and Liam in an ally between the theater and the chorus room. Liam had Zayn wrapped in his arms and she was crying into his chest.

“Babe,” Niall winced at his use of the nickname, “Tell me what happened. Are you and Niall fighting again? You know it’ll all just blow over soon. It’s gonna be okay.” Liam pulled Zayn from his chest and kissed her on the lips. Zayn pulled away from him looking down at her feet. She couldn’t continue like this. She didn’t want to lead Liam on and hurt him. Niall could see that she was about to start speaking and she had a feeling that she knew what Zayn was about to do. Niall took this as a chance  to interrupt the moment.

“Liam, I –“

“Ahem,” Liam and Zayn looked over in Niall’s direction, shocked at her appearance, “Liam…can I talk to her? Alone please…” Liam looked down at Zayn, silently asking for approval. When Zayn nodded her head he left the two alone and went back into the theater.

“Niall…please, I don’t want to talk about it. I’d understand if you hated me and never wanted to talk to me again just don’t make me talk about  -“ Zayn’s words were cut off by Niall’s soft lips falling on hers in a slow, sweet kiss. Niall pulled away and used her thumbs to wipe the tears from Zayn’s eyes.

“Niall…I-“ Niall cut her off instantly with another chaste kiss.

“Shhh…I needed to know…how it felt. Zayn, babe, I don’t hate you, and I would never stop talking to you over something so silly. I just…I wasn’t sure if…if you felt the same way. And when you said that in the dressing room, I was in shock. After all this time…and you felt it too.” Zayn couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Was Niall really saying that she had feelings for Zayn too? This was the last thing Zayn expected to happen when Niall finally found out about Zayn’s crush.

“But Zayn…I do love Harry. And I don’t know how I’m going to break it to him. I want to be with you Z, I really do. But just…can you give me some time?” All Zayn could do was nod and then pull Niall in for another deep kiss. Niall smiled into it and Zayn could feel it against her mouth. Niall pulled away from the kiss and wrapped her arms around Zayn’s middle, nuzzling her face into Zayn’s neck.

“I’m so happy you told me. I’d much rather this than fighting and secrets and pining after you.” Zayn laughed and nodded against Niall’s head.

“But what about Liam? I can’t keep leading him on like this…don’t you think it’s unfair to the both of them?” Niall sighed in response. She knew Zayn was right but she wasn’t sure that she was ready to just dump Harry after all the time they had been together. And she sure as hell was not ready to just come out as gay to everyone. Zayn was the strong one and it had taken her forever to just come out as bi. Niall wasn’t sure she would have the same courage as Zayn.

“Just give it some time, please? I’m not sure I’m quite ready for all of that attention. And even if we do break up with them, we’ll still have to wait before we come out, as you know I mean we don’t want them thinking or knowing, I guess, that we cheated on them with each other. It would just be best for everyone if we waited; at least until after homecoming…it’s next week. We wouldn’t want them alone on homecoming senior year, right?” Zayn nodded and pulled Niall into another hug.

“Come on Ni, let’s get back to class.” Niall pulled away after another moment and took Zayn’s hand in hers as they entered the theater.

“I’m so glad we already acted like this. It won’t raise any suspicion.” Zayn laughed and nodded in response. As soon as they entered the building Liam, Danielle and Harry were surrounding them. Liam was the first to speak, grabbing Zayn by the shoulders and pulling her into his chest for a hug.

“Babe, are you okay? I see you and Niall made up. I told you everything would work out.” Zayn and Niall laughed in unison.

“Yeah, you were right. I can’t stay mad at Niall for long.” Niall smiled and wrapped her arm around Harry’s waist who placed his arm around her shoulders.

“I’m glad you two could work it out. Now…can we get some stage work done before Mrs. Devlin has a fit?” The two girls nodded and followed Harry out to the stage where they parted and took their respective places before restarting the scene they had been on before Zayn’s freak out.

The class seemed to go by fast for the group of friends. Maybe it was the fact that Niall and Zayn had worked out whatever their problems were or maybe it was because lunch was right after theater and everyone was starving. Niall and Zayn, who both brought lunch every day, ran to get a table for the group to share while the rest of them went to wait in line for their food. Niall’s hand slipped into Zayn’s under the table and they ate in silence until Liam and Harry got to the table and sat on either side of them, causing the girls to have to pull their hands apart. Danielle and Eleanore had just sat down when they heard commotion at the entrance of the cafeteria.

“YOUNG MAN. YOU CANNOT JUST BARDGE IN HERE. SIR. PLEASE STOP.” Students were standing up on chairs and peering around each other to see the administrator try and stop whomever was in the cafeteria. Zayn had just stood up to get a good look at whomever it was when she heard Harry gasp from down the table.

“Guys…it’s Louis.”


End file.
